As I thought about my role in the falling out of my friendship with my BFF, I realized the many mistakes that I made that I need to correct. I did not do my assignment from God in the friendship! Yes, there are expectations from God within friendships. See, He needs and expects us to serve others and fill roles in others lives that He may show His love for that person.
Looking back over the years I noticed the gradual deterioration of our friendship. It started out with God as the glue to our friendship. Each person was actively engaged in serving the other without regard for keeping score or feeling resentful because of how much we were doing for the other. So what happened? We pushed God from the friendship. Anything left without a positive force or charge will begin to deteriorate. Think about it, if you put a chair outside on your porch and come check on it in 10 years, will it be in the same condition that you originally had it? Of course not, the elements weathered it, it probably lost it's luster, maybe someone damaged it, etc. Now had you taken care of it and refinished it and provided it renewing by refinishing etc., then it would do much better and thrive as a chair would, lol. So it is with our relationships within friendships, families, neighbors, or whatever.
That being said, we did not take care of the friendship the way we were expected to. We began murmuring when the calling of friendship beckoned under the guise of it's too hard, or I do everything for you, or you're mean, or I'm tired of trying, and on and on. We began to not look at things as an opportunity to love even more. We played the blame game, we left the friendship to try and weather the elements without our positive charge. We should have cherished and still cherish the opportunities to serve each other.
Are you listening people (meaning me)? Put down your pride and get out and serve each other and do what Heavenly Father expects of you without regard to what others may be telling you.
In the story of "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein, the tree gave and gave even though he was dying at the giving of his leaves, his branches, his trunk. It looks like a story of codependency to both parties detriment. But really if you take a closer look, it is teaching an eternal principle the Savior taught us. We see this in the closing line, "'Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest.' And the boy did. And the tree was happy." The tree was happy when it gave, even when it had nothing left, even at the sacrificing or laying down of his life. You see, it debunks the myth that people run out of time, energy, resources, in helping others. Lots of people excuse themselves saying they have nothing left to give. But God provides.
President Thomas S Monson made this point clearly when he said, "No greater love
Love is the catalyst that causes change. Love is the balm that brings healing to the soul. But love doesn't grow like weeds or fall like rain. Love has its price. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). That Son, even the Lord Jesus Christ, gave His life that we might have eternal life, so great was His love for His Father and for us"
He also said there is a common demoninator amongst us.
"All who have studied mathematics know what a common denominator is. For Latter-day Saints, there is a common denominator that binds us together. That common denominator is the individual call each of us receives to fill assignments in God's kingdom here upon the earth.
Are you ever guilty of murmuring when a calling comes to you? Or do you accept with thanksgiving each opportunity to serve your brothers and sisters, knowing that our Heavenly Father will bless those whom He calls?
I would hope that we would not lose the real objective of our cherished opportunities to serve. That objective, that eternal goal, is the same spoken of by the Lord and found in the Pearl of Great Price: "For behold, this is my work and my glory — to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).
May we ever remember that the mantle of membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not a cloak of comfort but rather a robe of responsibility. Our duty, in addition to saving ourselves, is to guide others to the celestial kingdom of God. —"
No comments:
Post a Comment